NEW SPECIES OF VIOLA. 215 
having no corollas, never open even their sepals; which flowers 
are even in a majority of cases developed under the ground, the 
capsules not rising to the surface of the soil until the day ap- 
proaches for the scattering of the ripe seeds. It is a remarka- 
able phase of science, a strange method of induction, by which 
men can convince themselves of the existence of hybrids—even 
the common occurrence of them—in a group of plants which, as 
if intelligent entities, seem to use every thinkable natural pre- 
caution against cross fertilization. 
VIOLA FILICETORUM. At petaliferous flowering low, 3 or 4 
inches high, the flowers barely surpassing the foliage: earliest 
leaves subreniform, ? inch long, crenate, plane, subsucculent, 
purple beneath, those next succeeding subcordate, obtuse, 14 
inches long, nearly as broad, glabrous, as are all the vegetative 
organs at every period, sepals oblong-oval, very obtuse, with 
distinct and evident scarious margin, this when fresh minutely 
serrulate as seen under a lens; corolla violet, not of the largest, 
the petals all very obtuse, the odd one as long as the others and 
almost truncate. Plant of early summer a foot high and even 
more, with vivid green thin and delicate leaves subcordate-del- 
toid, 24 inches long, 34 broad across the base, crenate: apeta- 
lous flowers on most delicate filiform horizontal and subterranean 
peduncles 2 to 4 inches long. 
Species peculiar to deep woodland shades along the Potomac 
above Washington, where it is very common in a narrow belt along 
the summits of such slopes as are occupied by the Christmas 
Fern, sometimes along the bases of such declivities, and not 
rarely in among the ferns. It is plentiful about Cabin 
John Bridge, in Maryland, and also just outside the District 
line, in the same region. I have observed it and collected 
it in these and other localities at various dates during five years 
past. Itis in good petaliferous flower about 20 April. In its 
extremely different dress of the latter part of May and in June 
no one not acquainted with the species would suspect it of being 
identical with the little dwarf of April with the petaliferous 
flowers. 
